Jobs in the brewery

[soldstatic]

OK I won't lie, I'm not currently a professional brewer. Don't shoot me though k?

I'm curious about jobs, engineering in particular.

I have experience designing, purchasing, and starting up power plants. In particular I was in charge of automation and distributed controls engineering. I brew at home regularly and love tasting the fine work the professionals do.

I'd love to make the salary I'm used to in the brewing industry. But I'm curious if it's possible? There's no monster.com for breweries, and brew pubs wouldn't pay to have an engineer on hand all the time, so I'm guessing there's not that many positions out there.

So how many of you have full time engineers on hand ready to re-wire something or replace an automated part of the system? How many of you don't have any automation at all?

And last question: any of you hiring engineers

[Larry Doyle]

Don't know about the little guys but the big beer companies utilize a lot of engineers of all types. The big breweries are heavily automated with computerized equipment of all types so they rely heavily on engineers and instrumentation types to keep the beer flowing on the brewing side and also in Packaging and beyond. In addition, they have large Utilities Departments which are responsible for all kinds of energy generation, water treatment and even waste water treatment.

You might be able to find a home in Engineering or even the Brewing Dept.

The pay in a large beer company is also very good.

You might want to check Miller/Coors and AB's web sites. Miller used to post job openings on their web. Don't know if they still do.

Good luck.

[fa50driver]

Engineers in the Brewery

I have a friend that is an engineer and I utilize his expertise in our brewery constantly. Of course he works for samples of beer. That is probably not what you wanted to hear though.

[soldstatic]

I have a friend that is an engineer and I utilize his expertise in our brewery constantly. Of course he works for samples of beer. That is probably not what you wanted to hear though.

Well for occassional help yea I would for beer. But I'd like a salary.

[soldstatic]

Don't know about the little guys but the big beer companies utilize a lot of engineers of all types. The big breweries are heavily automated with computerized equipment of all types so they rely heavily on engineers and instrumentation types to keep the beer flowing on the brewing side and also in Packaging and beyond. In addition, they have large Utilities Departments which are responsible for all kinds of energy generation, water treatment and even waste water treatment.

You might be able to find a home in Engineering or even the Brewing Dept.

The pay in a large beer company is also very good.

You might want to check Miller/Coors and AB's web sites. Miller used to post job openings on their web. Don't know if they still do.

Good luck.

Yea I know the huge ones would be able to employ me. I'd prefer to be in a more intimate environment. Oh well, thanks for the answer!

[samhuff]

As a side to this discussion, how often to breweries (craft and micro, not BMC) need engineers? I cannot imagine it would be a full time job at say a Schlafly or a Stone brewery as most equipment shouldn't be breaking down daily.

Just wondering if it would be a viable side-job rather than a full-blown career move. Not that I am saying OP should reconsider, I think if you can find the job in the micro/craft world it would be great to be able to design and work in the industry and still practice, but is the demand there?

[soldstatic]

As a side to this discussion, how often to breweries (craft and micro, not BMC) need engineers? I cannot imagine it would be a full time job at say a Schlafly or a Stone brewery as most equipment shouldn't be breaking down daily.

Just wondering if it would be a viable side-job rather than a full-blown career move. Not that I am saying OP should reconsider, I think if you can find the job in the micro/craft world it would be great to be able to design and work in the industry and still practice, but is the demand there?

I think that's essentially the consensus. Unless you get a job somewhere that is highly automated and has a huge investment in packaging facilities (packaging / assembly would require more intense engineering than the actual brewing), you wouldn't be able to do it as a career.

But I think you could probably do some consulting on the side easily if you could market yourself somehow. But you'd need some experience in the field at doing similar things, or sign on with a company that provides it as a service, in order to get started.

[Scott M]

Have you thought about contracting your services to several small breweries? I would think there would be a few who would like to have an engineer a phone call away.

Looks like there are a few to choose from around KC http://www.beerhistory.com/library/h...vingtour.shtml

75th Street, Mill Creek, Boulevard Brewing Co., With just a quick search online.

Good Luck!!

[soldstatic]

Have you thought about contracting your services to several small breweries? I would think there would be a few who would like to have an engineer a phone call away.

Looks like there are a few to choose from around KC http://www.beerhistory.com/library/h...vingtour.shtml

75th Street, Mill Creek, Boulevard Brewing Co., With just a quick search online.

Good Luck!!

Yea that's a good idea. Most of the breweries on that link are no longer with us (may they rest in peace). But it would be cool to be 'on call' for several breweries.

Oh and I frequent 75th all the time. That and McCoy's in westport. I like McCoy's a little better. If anyone is ever in KC and needs some company, let me know I'll meet you at McCoy's

[aorrick]

For a small brewery like ours (less than 500 bbl/year) we would have use for an engineer perhaps a few hours every month or two. A friend of mine works for another brewery just down the road doing 14-15 K bbl, and he acts as the brewery maintenance tech. He fixes anything that breaks. Probably mostly their bottling line. However, he can also jump in wherever he is needed, including brewing and cellar work. I have seen jobs like this for the smaller breweries posted, so you may consider looking there, although keep in mind that you will probably spend a lot of time cleaning kegs too. Good luck.

[soldstatic]

For a small brewery like ours (less than 500 bbl/year) we would have use for an engineer perhaps a few hours every month or two. A friend of mine works for another brewery just down the road doing 14-15 K bbl, and he acts as the brewery maintenance tech. He fixes anything that breaks. Probably mostly their bottling line. However, he can also jump in wherever he is needed, including brewing and cellar work. I have seen jobs like this for the smaller breweries posted, so you may consider looking there, although keep in mind that you will probably spend a lot of time cleaning kegs too. Good luck.

Yea i could probably do that. But probably not for the salary i'd need.

[schlosser]

I think for what you are asking the answer is that the position you are looking for doesn't exist. Realistically your options are either to work at a larger brewery where there is need for full time engineers and make a salary that is probably comparable to what you are currently making or work at a smaller brewery and make a much, much lower amount.

Unfortunately high pay is something that most of us in the brewing industry have decided to forego in order to practice our craft. Although this can be a huge sacrafice, to me the non monetary benefits far exceed the lack of money. Many of the brewers I know could be making a lot more money doing other things, but have chosen their profession knowing that it would take the sacrafice of material things.

In a perfect world Brewers would be a paid like the highly skilled craftsman that we are. Then again, there is nothing like enjoying a beer that you have brewed at the end of the day.

In the end it is best summed up by a story my brother always tells. He worked as a tram operator at Jackson Hole. He always had people tell him that he had the best job in the world and that they wished they could do what he does. His answer was to tell them that they indeed could do what he did, all they had to do was to quit their $250K job, move out there into an apartment with 4 other guys and get a job making $12 per hour. In exchange they could ski everyday and got some of the most beautiful scenery in the world as their 'office.' Most then stated that maybe they would just continue to come out for a week once a year on vacation.

All about choices and priorities... and everybody's are different.

Good Luck,

Dave

[farmbrewernw]

Yeah I'm with a lot of other guys on this one. I worked in Civil Engineering before I became a brewer, I make a lot less than I did before and have no benefits. I've made sacrifices but luckily I have always lived my life simple and my wife makes a good salary. Your not going to find a high paying job in the small craft brewing industry, they don't exist. I'd say you have two options, one is to keep doing what your doing and two is to take the huge cut in pay and jump into the brewing world.

[gitchegumee]

I'm a mechanical engineer who used to work nuclear power as a transient tech making more money than god. Traded it in for peanuts at a small regional brewery who needed help with automating bottling line, CIP in the cellar, and grain handling, among other things. This got my foot in the door 18 years ago. Now I manage a small brewery in a great place, getting out once or twice a year to install a brewery somewhere else. And I make good money. Not quite as much as before, but I've learned that I don't really need that much to be happy. Besides, getting a few months off a year is worth the salary difference. And I don't see why you wouldn't want to work in a larger brewery. They can't be intimate? Before you expect too much, be prepared to learn brewing in a commercial setting. Then maybe you can demand more money in your ideal setting. BTW, Harpoon is looking for an engineer now. I've seen New Belgium post a few years ago for facility engineer. Get your foot in the door!

[soldstatic]

I'm a mechanical engineer who used to work nuclear power as a transient tech making more money than god. Traded it in for peanuts at a small regional brewery who needed help with automating bottling line, CIP in the cellar, and grain handling, among other things. This got my foot in the door 18 years ago. Now I manage a small brewery in a great place, getting out once or twice a year to install a brewery somewhere else. And I make good money. Not quite as much as before, but I've learned that I don't really need that much to be happy. Besides, getting a few months off a year is worth the salary difference. And I don't see why you wouldn't want to work in a larger brewery. They can't be intimate? Before you expect too much, be prepared to learn brewing in a commercial setting. Then maybe you can demand more money in your ideal setting. BTW, Harpoon is looking for an engineer now. I've seen New Belgium post a few years ago for facility engineer. Get your foot in the door!

That's encouraging! Ya I don't need a whole lot of cash to be happy. But the wedding coming and the fiance may say differently... lol

Thanks for the heads up on Harpoon!